Dark Portal
thumb|Horde entering Azeroth through the Dark Portal during the First War. thumb|The Dark Portal in the Black Morass thumb|The inactive Dark Portal on the Azeroth side, as seen in World of Warcraft before patch 2.0.1 thumb|The active Dark Portal on the Azeroth side, as seen in World of Warcraft after patch 2.0.1 The Dark Portal (aka the Great Portal) is the gateway between Azeroth and Draenor. The Azeroth side of the Portal is located in the southeastern reaches of the Blasted Lands of southern Azeroth, while the Draenor side, the Stair of Destiny, is located in the eastern portion of the Hellfire Peninsula. Creation of the Portal The Dark Portal was created by joint effort between Medivh, possessed by the Dark Titan Sargeras, and the warlocks of the Shadow Council, which allowed the Horde to invade the world of Azeroth. The Portal bridged the distance between the worlds of Azeroth and Draenor, and it was large enough that armies might pass through it. Gul'dan immediately dispatched orc scouts through the Portal in preparation for the coming invasion. The armies of the orcs poured through the Portal into the unsuspecting kingdom of Stormwind, beginning the First War. Beyond the Dark Portal Following the defeat of the Horde in the Second War, the Dark Portal was captured by the forces of the Alliance of Lordaeron. Hoping to end the threat of the orcs, the Archmage Khadgar attempted to close the gateway to Draenor. While the structure was destroyed, the link between the worlds remained as a tear in the fabric of reality. To keep watch over the remnants of the Portal, Nethergarde Keep was constructed. Using a magical cloak of darkness to escape the detection of the mages at Nethergarde, the Bleeding Hollow clan used the rift to return to Draenor. Hearing the Bleeding Hollow's tales of Azeroth, the Elder Shaman Ner'zhul, Chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan and Warchief of Draenor, planned to open a number of portals on Draenor that would lead the Horde to new worlds to conquer. To do so, Ner'zhul required mystical artifacts - the Book of Medivh, the Skull of Gul'dan, the Jeweled Scepter of Sargeras, and the Eye of Dalaran. In order to procure these artifacts, the elder shaman reopened the Dark Portal and sent his forces through. King Terenas of Lordaeron, convinced that the orcs were preparing a new invasion of Azeroth, assembled his most trusted lieutenants, including Khadgar and the paladin Turalyon, to form an expedition through the Portal to put an end to the orcish threat once and for all. Ner'zhul finally opened his portals to other worlds, but he did not foresee the terrible price he would pay. The portals' tremendous energies tore Draenor apart. Grom Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye - who saw that Ner'zhul's portals would destroy their world, and his insanity would destroy their people - led their clans through the Dark Portal back to Azeroth. The Alliance forces remained on Draenor, agreeing to make the ultimate sacrifice by destroying the Dark Portal from their side in order to prevent that world's destruction from destroying Azeroth as well. There are indications they may have taken one of Ner'zhul's portals to another world. They may also have survived Draenor's destruction, and remain in the shattered realm now called Outland. The Dark Portal remained dormant for twenty years, until an artifact of incredible power was found by the demon Lord Kazzak, a lieutenant of Kil'jaeden. Kazzak used the powerful artifact to reopen the Dark Portal to Draenor and cross into Outland. Other Dark Portals A few whisper that the Dark Portal that first brought the demons to Azeroth (during the War of the Ancients) yet remains and rests under the sea waiting for someone to reopen it. Kael'Thas and Lady Vashj escaped with the blood elves from Dalaran through the Portal to Outland during The Crossing. The Portal in World of Warcraft When World of Warcraft launched, the Dark Portal was a noticeable (but unusable) feature in the Blasted Lands, located southeast of Stormwind in the Eastern Kingdoms. The Portal is located in the southeastern corner of the Blasted Lands and (until Patch 2.0.1) was surrounded by elite demons and servants of the named demons, and the glow around the Portal's gateway was blue, indicating its inactivity. It was considered to be decorative only, a piece of Warcraft lore to look at. The Portal on the Azeroth side appears to be rather simple - the only decoration on it being the two "guardians" on either side of the gateway and the coiled snake-head above it. With the announcement of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, it was revealed that the Dark Portal would be reopened and be the primary means of travelling to Outland. In preparation for the expansion, Blizzard released Patch 2.0.1, "Before the Storm", which prepared the original areas of the world for the impending expansion. In addition to the changes to the map, the addition of new NPCs and the new means of transportation to the new races' capitals, the demons and demon-slaves were removed from around the Dark Portal and the crater it rests in, and replaced with what appears to be a base camp of both the Horde and the Alliance, either helping those going in, or keeping something from coming out. The glow around the gateway is green now, indicating that the Portal is open. Going through the Portal, like accessing the new racial areas, requires the expansion pack to be installed. See the Stair of Destiny for information about the other side of the portal. The final patch before the release of The Burning Crusade (2.0.3) included a world event surrounding the reopening of the Dark Portal. Invading Felguards and Invading Voidwalkers began to pour through the dark portal, and the camps in front of the portal were manned by Argent Dawn defenders. The leader of these forces offered the quest Into the Breach. This quest simply involved killing six of the Invading Felguards (Due to number of people fighting for these kills.) Completing the quest earned you the Tabard of the Protector: A special version of the Tabard of the Argent Dawn. When used, the Tabard produced a visual effect similar to Holy Nova, and the wearer would flex. Lord Kazzak also vanished from his former place in the Blasted Lands to take up his new residence in Outland. His vacated office was taken up by Highlord Kruul. Not content to sit in a hole in the Tainted Scar, Highlord Kruul would periodically lay siege to major cities and other areas, summoning demon minions and killing everybody in sight until he's driven off. Travel Hubs To get to the Dark Portal from Azeroth, one needs to fly to one of the towns in Azeroth and ride to reach the Dark Portal. Flight Paths Closest to the Dark Portal in Azeroth * Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands * Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows See also * Dimensional Gateway * Dark Portal Opens Category:Lore Category:Transportation